Monday, August 15, 2005: Volume #2, Issue #85
The VERB Weekly Email Digest
Edited by Sophy Pich, VERB Project Associate

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In This Week's Issue

1. Announcements
• ICAN
• CEO Leadership Series
• Foundation and Nonprofit Performance Conference
• Maryland Nonprofits' Charity Giving Guide
• Advocacy Leaders Program
• AALDEF
2. Promising Practices
• Class Action
3. News
• Report Finds Nonprofits at Critical Juncture As Boomers Retire
• the State of E-Philanthropy
• Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy Announces Top 10 Survey Findings
• Angkor Wat Replica Is Unveiled
• Yer Yang Column: for Vietnamese,Wounds of the War Seem Healed
• Refugees Need Help
• Detective Novels Take on the World
• Town Hall to Explore If Asian Americans Unfairly Tried in the ...
• Reconciling with the past
• Vietnamese Defies Odds to Become Top Woman in Technology
• Imagine If You Moved to Hmong Homeland
• Nonprofits Say Accountability Is Top Industry Concern
• Bridging Two Worlds
• Some Caledonia Residents Oppose Buddhist Colony
• Bob Hull's Richmond Report
• Local Hired As Hmong Liaison
• Angelina Jolie Becomes a Cambodian Citizen
• Vietnamese Victims of Scam Seek Restitution
• Sheboygan
• Minority Matters
• Grit Grigoleit Studies Hmong in Midwest
• La. Stops Sales of Vietnamese Seafood: Banned Antibiotic Found
• Two Sides Cooperate Despite Lingering Memories of War
• Hunt Is on for Rare, Wild Huckleberry
• Residents Flock to Earthfest to "Make a Difference"
• Reaching across a Double Divide
• Neville Exhibit Follows "Hmong Journey to Wisconsin"
4. Funding Opportunities
• American Association of University Women
• National Grid USA
• GOOGLE
• HCR MANOR CARE FOUNDATION
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• DELUXE CORPORATION FOUNDATION (WI & NC)
• The Public Welfare Foundation
• U.S. TRUST CORPORATION FOUNDATION (CA, DC, NC, VA)
• PEACE DEVELOPMENT FUND
• NATIONAL CHILDREN'S ALLIANCE
• MEDTRONIC FOUNDATION
• STARBUCKS FOUNDATION
• Ashoka Fellowship
5. Resources
• NPAction
• GEM-SET

I. Announcements

Quyen Vuong (ICAN Executive Director) in the news:

Reconciling with the Past

San Jose Mercury News, August 9, 2005

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CEO Leadership Series: A Self-Knowledge Journey

Event Date: October 14, 2005

Center for Nonprofit Advancement training

Understanding one's self is key to understanding one's competencies, motivations and challenges as a leader. This special, four-part series starts nonprofit CEOs on a journey of self-discovery to:

• Gain insights into the underpinnings of one's leadership and how they translate into competence as a leader
• Learn how to use self-knowledge to improve the effectiveness of relationships with boards, staff, and external constituencies
• Develop a personal action plan to maximize and fulfill leadership potential.

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Foundation and Nonprofit Performance Conference

Event Date: September 26, 2005

Implementing Performance-Based Management and Financial Accountability Systems for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Organizations

The 2005 Nonprofit and Foundation Performance Conference will provide promising practices and strategies for creating performance measures and improving outcomes.

The 2005 Foundation and Nonprofit Performance Conference will be held at the

Washington Plaza Hotel
Ten Thomas Circle, NW
Washington, DC 20005
800-424-1140
www.washingtonplazahotel.com

The tuition rates for attending the 2005 Foundation and Nonprofit Performance Conference are as follows: Conference:

• Early Bird Registration (before August 31st) $895
• (After September 1st) $995
• Post-Conference Workshop: $395

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Maryland Nonprofits' Charity Giving Guide

Event Date: August 31, 2005

Maryland Nonprofits members are invited to contribute articles and photographs about how they make a difference, to be published in Maryland Nonprofits' Charity Giving Guide, which will be inserted into the Baltimore Sun and the Gazette newspapers in Montgomery and Prince George's County in November.

While the focus of the Charity Giving Guide continues to be public education, the theme for this year is Making a Difference: The Impact That Public Support Has On The Nonprofit Sector's Success. This is an opportunity for you to help educate the public about the impact that nonprofits have on the quality of life in communities across Maryland. It is our intent for this publication to encourage public support of the nonprofit sector by giving people a better understanding of the positive impact that nonprofits have within Maryland.

Each article should describe the depth of impact your particular field in the nonprofit sector has on Maryland communities - how public support has led to your success. Articles should explain the different types of organizations or activities that donors can support in your field through their contributions both of time and money.

Articles must be 800 to 1,000 words and accompanied by three photos and photo release forms. Not all articles will be featured in the Guide; however Maryland Nonprofits may publish articles on our website and/or in future publications.

All articles must be received by no later than August 31.

Photos can be submitted as prints, slides, or electronic files. Prints and slides must be 5"x7" or 8"x10." File must be .tif or 300 dpi and at least 7" wide.

For more information contact Alison Dodge at 301-565-0505 or giving_guide@mdnonprofit.org.

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Advocacy Leaders Program

Event Date: August 22, 2005

Maryland Nonprofits Training

Do you advocate for your organization's issues and communities? Are you looking for more knowledge to successfully advance and protect the public interest of the people you serve? Join Maryland Nonprofits' Advocacy Leaders Program to learn how to most effectively develop, organize, and implement strategic plans for effective advocacy.

Learn from your colleagues' expertise and attend workshops, trainings, and our intensive multi-day retreats. Since its inception in 2001, almost 60 participants have successfully completed the yearlong program and are actively engaged in a wide range of nonprofit policy issues and our network keeps growing.

The next Advocacy Leaders Program retreat begins in Fall 2005, so apply now. Tuition for 2005 is $3,500, and includes two 4-day resort retreats, meetings throughout the state, and all program materials. Limited scholarships are available. If you have any questions, contact the program director, Rebecca Burrett, at 800-273-6367, ext. 38, or rburrett@mdnonprofit.org.

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For immediate release: Thursday, August 11, 2005

For more information, contact: Tushar J. Sheth, Staff Attorney, 212.966.5932 x220 tsheth@aaldef.org

AALDEF Launches New Initiative to Challenge State and Local Enforcement of Immigration Laws

New York City—The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), a 31-year old civil rights organization, announced today a new initiative to defend against local and state enforcement of immigration laws and released a new legal rights pamphlet for immigrants and their families, which will be available on the organization's website at www.aaldef.org.

After September 11th and especially in recent months, many state and local entities in New York City and around the country have been drawn into the enforcement of immigration laws, departing from longstanding policies of deferring to the federal government on such issues. Recent examples include the passage of the Real ID Act by Congress, which requires states to take immigration laws into account as they issue driver's licenses; Mayor Bloomberg's acknowledgment that New York City police officers erred by disclosing the immigration status of a crime victim, in violation of the privacy requirements of Executive Order 41; and testimony by NYPD officials before the New York City Council, admitting that officers routinely question noncitizens about their immigration status when they are arrested and disclose that information to federal immigration officials.

Local enforcement has been implemented in various ways, including direct cooperation between local government agencies and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, questioning of immigrants regarding their status by state and local agencies in the provision of services and, in many instances, barring immigrants from accessing these services, and increased questioning of immigration status by police departments and other law enforcement authorities.

As a result of these policies, immigrants are deterred from accessing city and state services and cooperating with government agencies, such as police and fire departments, for fear of immigration consequences. Over the long term, such a lack of trust will inevitably lead to unsafe communities that are unable to participate effectively in civic life.

AALDEF will defend the rights of immigrants against local and state enforcement of immigration laws by doing community education and outreach, conducting advocacy at the federal, state and local level, and offering legal representation to individuals whose rights have been violated. Organizations that would like to schedule a "know your rights" training, conduct outreach on this issue, or refer individuals in need of legal representation should contact AALDEF at 212.966.5932 for assistance.

This new initiative is supported by the Open Society Institute and is part of AALDEF's Immigrant Access to Justice Project, which does organizing and outreach in partnership with community organizations and provides legal services to community residents affected by 9.11 in such areas as special interest detention, special registration, voluntary interviews by the government, the 9.11 absconder initiative, and post 9.11 detention and deportation.

Tushar J. Sheth
Staff Attorney/Open Society Institute New York Community Fellow
Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund
Defending the civil rights of Asian Americans since 1974
99 Hudson St, 12th Floor
New York, New York 10013
(w) 212.966.5932 x220
(f) 212.966.4303
tsheth@aaldef.org
www.aaldef.org

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II. Promising Practices

Class Action: Citizen Academy Programs Teach Volunteers to Strengthen Their Skills and Increase Their Activism

by Lauren Kafka

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Michelle Nunn and her colleagues spent a decade building a grass-roots organization that matched busy people with volunteer opportunities at charities in cities across the country. The organization helped people overcome one of the biggest obstacles to volunteering—the time crunch—by arranging short, one-time volunteer opportunities. However, it still left many volunteers wondering how they could do more to improve conditions for the needy and promote social change.

"As you're working in a tutoring program or working in a soup kitchen, you start to ask questions about what are the policy issues here, and how can we solve the problems as well as address the symptoms," says Ms. Nunn, who now serves as chief executive officer of the Hands On Network, an umbrella group that oversees Hands On Atlanta—the group she founded with 12 other people in 1989—and 51 other affiliates in the United States and abroad. More than 300,000 volunteers a year work on community-service projects arranged through the Hands on Network.

Read on...

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III. News

Report Finds Nonprofits at Critical Juncture As Boomers Retire
PNN Online
July 27, 2005

***

The State of E-Philanthropy
PNN Online
July 27, 2005

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Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy Announces Top 10 Survey Findings
PNN Online
July 28, 2005

***

Angkor Wat Replica Is Unveiled
Pojo.com
August 1, 2005

***

Yer Yang Column: for Vietnamese, Wounds of the War Seem Healed
Sheboygan Press
August 8, 2005

***

Refugees Need Help
Long Beach Press-Telegram
August 8, 2005

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Detective Novels Take on the World
Christian Science Monitor
August 8, 2005

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Town Hall to Explore If Asian Americans Unfairly Tried in the ...
PR Newswire (press release)
August 9, 2005

***

Reconciling with the Past
August 9, 2005
San Jose Mercury News

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Vietnamese Defies Odds to Become Top Woman in Technology
Pacific News Service
August 10, 2005

***

Imagine If You Moved to Hmong Homeland
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
August 10, 2005

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Nonprofits Say Accountability Is Top Industry Concern
PNN Online
August 10, 2005

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Bridging Two Worlds
Rutland Herald
August 11, 2005

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Some Caledonia Residents Oppose Buddhist Colony
WLS
August 11, 2005

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Bob Hull's Richmond Report
Falls Church News Press
August 11, 2005

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Local Hired As Hmong Liaison
Fitchburg Sentinel
August 11, 2005

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Angelina Jolie Becomes a Cambodian Citizen
Houston Chronicle
August 12, 2005

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Vietnamese Victims of Scam Seek Restitution
Seattle Post Intelligencer
August 12, 2005

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Sheboygan
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
August 12, 2005

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Minority Matters
Financial Times
August 12, 2005

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Grit Grigoleit Studies Hmong in Midwest
St. Paul Asian American Press
August 12, 2005

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La. Stops Sales of Vietnamese Seafood: Banned Antibiotic Found
San Jose Mercury News
August 13, 2005

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Two Sides Cooperate Despite Lingering Memories of War
Middletown Press
August 13, 2005

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Hunt Is on for Rare, Wild Huckleberry
Seattle Times
August 14, 2005

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Residents Flock to Earthfest to "Make a Difference"
Sheboygan Press
August 14, 2005

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Reaching across a Double Divide
San Jose Mercury News
August 14, 2005

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Neville Exhibit Follows "Hmong Journey to Wisconsin"
Green Bay Press Gazette
August 14, 2005

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IV. Grants

1. (National)
   American Association of University Women

   One of the world's largest sources of funding exclusively for graduate women, the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation supports aspiring scholars around the globe, teachers and activists in local communities, women at critical stages of their careers, and those pursuing professions where women are underrepresented.

   The foundation's Community Action Grants provide seed money to individual women, AAUW branches, and AAUW state organizations, as well as local community-based nonprofits, for innovative programs or non-degree research projects that promote education and equity for women and girls.

   One-year grants provide seed money ($2,000-$7,000) for new projects. Topic areas are unrestricted but should include a clearly defined activity that promotes education and equity for women and girls.

   Two-year grants provide start-up funds ($5,000-$10,000) for longer-term programs that address the particular needs of the community and develop girls' sense of efficacy through leadership or advocacy opportunities. Topic areas are unrestricted but should include a clearly defined activity that promotes education and equity for women and girls.

   Applicants must be women who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. Grant projects must have direct public impact, be nonpartisan, and take place within the U.S. or its territories.

   Deadline: January 15, 2006

2. (National)
   National Grid USA

   The Samuel Huntington Public Service Award provides an annual stipend of $10,000 for a graduating college senior to pursue public service anywhere in the world. The program is designed to allow recipients to engage in a meaningful public service activity for one year before proceeding on to graduate school or a career.

   The award is named in honor of the late president and chief executive officer of the former New England Electric System, now National Grid USA. Funded by colleagues, family, and friends at National Grid, the award offers grants to two graduating college seniors on the basis of their academic record, personal accomplishments, and a proposal for a public service project.

   Applicants are encouraged to develop their own proposals for public service in the United States or abroad. The proposal may encompass any activity that furthers the public good. It can be undertaken by the applicant alone or by working through established charitable, religious, educational, governmental, or other public service organizations.

   Deadline: February 15, 2005

3. (National)
   Google Grants

   You use it all the time, but did you know the popular search engine Google also has a unique "grant" program for nonprofits? The company awards at least three months of in-kind advertising, through its AdWords program, to qualifying nonprofits, helping organizations connect with donors and constituents, increase awareness of their cause, and generate traffic to the nonprofit's own website.

4. (National)
   HCR Manor Care Foundation

   The mission of the HCR Manor Care Foundation is to enhance the quality of life in the communities served by HCR Manor Care through support of nonprofit organizations that share the company's vision for improving quality of life for seniors, individuals requiring post-acute services and those needing hospice and palliative care. The Foundation's efforts are focused on sustaining dignity, independence and a sense of well being through support of research, education and community-based service programs.

   Deadline: October 1, 2005

5. (National)
   Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

   The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Domestic Hunger improves the lives of people in need in the United States. The grantmaking program's priorities include: providing immediate relief for people affected by chronic hunger and poverty; assisting communities through sustainable development to help alleviate chronic hunger and poverty; advocating for justice by changing laws and systems; and educating members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in awareness of issues relating to hunger, poverty and justice. In reviewing grant requests, emphasis is given to projects directed at people with the least resources for meeting their basic needs and women and children living in poverty.

   Deadline: October 1, annually

6. (Wisconsin & North Carolina)
   Deluxe Corporation Foundation

   The Deluxe Corporation Foundation supports nonprofit organizations serving communities where Deluxe Corporation facilities are located. (List of company locations) The Foundation's areas of interest include: education, human services, and arts and culture. The Foundation supports organizations that have been in operation for at least two years and have secured support from other funders.

   Deadline: from February 15 through November 15, annually.

7. (National)
   The Public Welfare Foundation

   The Public Welfare Foundation is accepting letters of inquiry for grants in the areas of health, criminal justice, and community and economic development, with a focus on disadvantaged communities.

   Award amounts range from $25,000 to $50,000, and may fund specific programs or general operating support to accepted foundations.

   Applications may be submitted any time. The Public Welfare Foundation makes a wide variety of grants based on the strength of application. To learn more about applying and a history of past grants, visit the Public Welfare Foundation online.

   Deadline: Open

8. (California, Washington D.C., North Carolina & Virginia)
   U.S. Trust Corporation Foundation

   The U.S. Trust Corporation Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that improve the quality of life in the communities in the 15 states where the company does business. Funded organizations include arts and cultural organizations and community services organizations that assist low-to moderate-income residents. Funding priorities in the community services program area include affordable housing, job creation, neighborhood development, and education for disadvantaged youth.

   Deadlines: for community services organizations is September 1, annually. (The deadline for arts and cultural organizations is March 1, annually.)

9. (National)
   Peace Development Fund

   The Peace Development Fund provides support to organizations working to achieve peaceful, just, and interdependent relationships among people and nations. The Fund believes that the change in values needed to establish a more just and peaceful world will come about only if it is strongly rooted in local communities. The Fund's Community Organizing Grants support grassroots organizations that are organizing community members for social justice in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Haiti. Issues that will be considered include: criminal justice, environmental justice, economic justice, anti-oppression work, youth organizing, and workplace organizing. The Fund also provides support through its Donor Advised Funds.

   Deadline: September 1, 2005

10. (National)
    National Children's Alliance

    The National Children's Alliance (NCA) administers federal funds for the start-up and/or expansion of Children's Advocacy Centers. Children's Advocacy Centers are programs designed by professionals and volunteers responding to the needs of their own communities. The Centers offer a new way of serving abused children through a comprehensive approach to services for victims and their families. The Centers stress coordination of investigation and intervention services by bringing together professionals and agencies as a multidisciplinary team to create a child-focused approach to child abuse cases. NCA offers several different categories of grant funding for NCA-member and non-member agencies, including staff training grants, program development grants, and tribal program grants.

    Deadlines: for competitive grants is September 13, 2005; for non-competitive grants is October 11, 2005

11. (National)
    Medtronic Foundation Focus on Community Programs

    The Medtronic Foundation's mission is to improve the health of people and communities by focusing resources in areas where the Foundation can make unique and positive contributions. The Foundation primarily makes grants in communities where the company has facilities, including international locations. U.S. company communities are located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington. Selected national programs are also supported. The Foundation's grantmaking categories include health; education; and community, including arts and human services organizations.

    Deadline: varies by grantmaking category and applicant location

12. (National)
    Starbucks Foundation

    The Starbucks Foundation invites letters of inquiry from organizations that work with underserved youth in the fields of literacy (reading, writing and creative/media arts) and environmental literacy. The Foundation funds programs for youth that integrate literacy with personal and civic action to bring the voices of youth into the communities in which they live.

    Deadline: September 1, 2005 (LOI)

13. (National)
    Ashoka Fellowship

    Ashoka's mission is to shape a citizen sector that is entrepreneurial, productive and globally integrated, and to develop the profession of social entrepreneurship around the world. Ashoka identifies and invests in leading social entrepreneurs—extraordinary individuals with unprecedented ideas for change in their communities—supporting the individual, idea and institution through all phases of their career. Once elected to Ashoka, Fellows benefit from being part of the global Fellowship for life.

    Ashoka's vision is that of a global society that is able to respond quickly and effectively to social challenges everywhere. Ashoka does not accept government funding; business entrepreneurs and their foundations, corporations, individuals and volunteer chapters finance Ashoka's work.

    Ashoka has invested in more than 1,500 Ashoka Fellows in 53 countries. Those Fellows have transformed the lives of millions of people in thousands of communities worldwide.

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V. Resources

NPAction

NPAction, an online resource for nonprofit advocacy, has been updated and improved to make it easier for users to find what they need to be effective advocates. A new section features examples of successful advocacy by a wide variety of nonprofits.

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GEM-SET (GIRLS' E-MENTORING IN SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY)

GEM-SET is an online mentoring project encouraging girls to pursue careers in science, engineering and technology fields. Since its inception, the program has linked 300 volunteer women mentors with 1,365 girls aged 13-18 through email and a website. The Women's Bureau funded the program from 2001 to 2004, and the project is currently being managed by the University of Illinois at Chicago. GEM-SET features an online Q&A daily digest with questions from girls answered by mentors, and a "How-To" Manual and Archives of Questions and Answers is available through the web site.

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If you wish to contribute to the VERB Weekly e-Digest, please send all materials to sophy@searac.org